“A zombie,” called Mary, quite calmly.
Their heads spun about wildly.
“Where at?” I asked.
She gestured. “Way, way, way off there, down the road. I don’t think it can even see us yet.”
“We’re out in the open,” gasped a woman. Her fists were tightly clenched, the knuckles white.
“Zombies have lousy eyesight, a few hundred yards. They don’t see you if you’re far off. They can hear like a normal person though,” I added. “If it gets close before we leave, we’ll shoot it. Not a problem.”
She did not look convinced.
“They’re slow and stupid,” I continued. “It’s when they get you by surprise or if there are a lot of them that you have to worry. That’s why we always have people on watch when we’re out.”
“We’d been holed up in that building since it started,” said Eric. “We haven’t learned much other than they attack and bite.”
“We’ll fill you in on the details later,” offered Dean, “but Jacob is right. You saw how bad things almost went in town when we got surrounded by too many. If there’s just a few, they can be shot and put down without a fuss. Kind of an all or nothing thing, at least in a standup fight.”
Lizzy and Briana started coming out with armloads of stuff. Most of it was put in the backseat of the Grand Cherokee, and judging from the amount, Mary would be cramped. Good thing she was so tiny. Lizzy did drop a bag of Oreos and an unopened gallon jug of water in the back of the pickup, receiving some thank yous for her consideration.
“Got a diary,” said Briana. “Put this in the Jeep. I want to read it later.”
I took the small, leather bound book. “Is it about the zombies?”
She nodded. “I scanned the back, and it covers at least part of all this shit.”
“Watch your language young lady, or the pastor might lecture you,” I chided.
Briana laughed. “After getting together with you, he has more than a few bad words to lecture me about. He doesn’t lecture anyway. He just says please mind your manners or something like that.”
“In that case, mind your language or you’ll get a spanking and not the fun kind.”
She looked around, probably to see if Lizzy was nearby, but I was learning to mind my tongue when she was within earshot. As it was, Lizzy had gone back inside for another load. A few of the newcomers offered to assist, but they’d been told to stay put.
“Threatening to be mean to me.” Briana turned to head back in herself. “You’re going to owe me. I’m thinking a foot rub tonight.”
“We’ll see,” I replied. The odds were good she’d receive it.
I turned my attention to the zombie Mary had spotted. It was still quite distant, although I think it had heard or possibly seen us at this point. It seemed to heading directly for me. There was something funny about the way it walked.
“Why’s Briana smiling?” asked Lizzy, after she came out the second time.
“She found someone’s diary.” I held up the book. “She gets to pry into another’s personal secrets. You know, the sort of thing you like to do.”
“I want a read too.”
“I’m sure Briana will share.” I opened the door and tossed it inside. “I promised her a foot rub as well, or rather she insisted on it. I’m pretty sure it was never going to be optional. You can probably borrow it then, or whenever.”
“That sounds good. I’ll threaten Lois into giving me one later tonight.”
I shook my head. “If there’s anyone on this planet, still breathing, that you would never threaten, it’s Lois and Mary.”
“I’ll have you know that I treat them the same as everyone else, with heaps of abuse and disdain.”
“Lizzy, not to be rude shifting topics, but don’t you think there’s something really weird about the way that zombie is moving?”
The sun was behind the thing, making it hard to see, but it was definitely walking slower than normal and swaying from side to side.
She shrugged and set the cans and bags she was holding on the pavement. “Dean, put this stuff in the Jeep.” Not waiting for a response, and fully expecting him to comply, she fell into step beside me.
It wasn’t until we were very close and had been able to take a good, long look that either of us made a comment.
“That is so wrong.”
I had to agree. The zombie, formerly a woman, was pregnant. We’d seen others on occasion that looked to be in the same condition, but never so close and never one that appeared ready to give birth. There wasn’t a mark on her, other than the normal filth that came from being outside for days on end, and she was completely nude. Poor thing was probably in bed when the convulsions hit her that first night.
“I think we should put this one down, before she’s close enough for the others to see. Eric and his crew are probably already having nightmares. I don’t want to add to them.”
“Do it Jacob.”
I lifted my pistol and fired. The round struck the zombie in the forehead, and she dropped. That wasn’t the end of the movement though. The bloated belly was wiggling.
“Uh, what’s wrong with it?” asked Lizzy.
“I’m thinking the baby is a zombie too. It probably wants out.”
“Jesus.” The word was barely a whisper, and it was drowned out by the roar of her .45. Lizzy emptied the clip into the thing’s midsection.
“Had to be done,” she added, when it was over.
The thought of an unborn zombie baby, pressing against the insides of its mother, trying to get free was more than my stomach could stand. I twisted to the side, my prior meal spewing forth.
“We need to drive back the other way,” continued Lizzy. “I do not want Mary seeing this. In fact, let’s not even mention it, at least not until we are far, far away.”
I nodded.
“You okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” I stammered.
“You’re too delicate Jacob. You need to work on that.” Lizzy took another look at the scene before us and began to gag.
“You’re not much better,” I pointed out.
She gave me the finger.
“Want to bet that little one was trying to get loose for the past month, pressing and scraping its mother’s insides, slowly tearing its way free?”
“Enough,” warned Lizzy. “I don’t want to talk about it right now, and don’t say anything like that to Mary. I mean it.”
* * *
“What happened?” asked Briana.
“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head.
“You were throwing up Jacob,” she pressed, concern in her voice.
“Yeah, tell us,” prompted Mary.
Lois stood nearby, her face displaying curiosity as well. Our actions were definitely beyond the norm.
“It was nastier than usual,” stated Lizzy, in way of explanation. “Fucking disgusting zombie trash. Done with now, so forget about it.”
* * *
After we returned to camp, I led a round of introductions and gave a very abbreviated explanation of how we found them and what the newcomers had been through. Having located more people was welcome news. Learning there were a lot of zombies swarming about Chadron, so very close to our forest, was not nearly as enjoyable. Still, it was good overall. We had Eric, who turned out to be a professional builder, and we had a good idea of what was happening on our doorstep.
Over dinner, I explained our plans to build a wooden palisade, but Eric dismissed it as completely unnecessary. He could lay out a foundation and put up a huge wall using cinderblocks, rebar, and concrete. He was even capable of mortaring stone to the outside so it looked more classic and visually pleasing. This would last decades with minimal maintenance and would be much, much more secure. Also, there was plenty of material in Chadron due to some suppliers having recently received shipments. Everything we needed was there.
It would take time to clean the city out, with a lot of people helping and a great deal of preci
ous ammunition being expended, but if we were going to have a chance at organized looting, Chadron had to be purged of its non-breathing denizens. We definitely had the guns we needed, but if we couldn’t find more bullets – I had no idea how many gun stores or sporting goods places were around that we could restock from – we’d be hard pressed in any future engagements.
And Chadron would be much slower going than Hemingford had been. We would have to lure them out of the town, one group at a time, leading the monsters to an open field where we could put them down. That would have to be repeated over and over. Of course, more would trickle in from elsewhere – as you know, zombies never stop moving – but hopefully they wouldn’t arrive in such large numbers or all at once.
Due to the addition of Eric, the books we nearly got killed over turned out to be unnecessary. Eric also claimed to be able to construct stone buildings. We had no need for cabins, and the stone houses could be insulated and plastered over for comfort. They would take the wet and snow better too. Dean was adamant that if Eric could get them up, he could finish out the insides, complete with lights and plugs, after we hooked up a generator. Dean and Eric were put in charge of all building and planning, subject to review and consultation by everyone else. It only made sense to get input from others.
One of the new women – I think her name was Bernice or something like that – asked about security and safety. Briana explained that we kept watch at all times, even at night when we’re within the fence, but it turned out she was referring more to law and order, particularly in regards to sexual violence.
“We don’t put up with any of that shit,” snarled Lizzy. “Feel free to shoot any bastard who tries to hurt you, but only to wound. I want to be able to shove a stake up his ass and watch him twitch for a few hours.”
“I favor crucifixion,” I said. “Three days to die if you do it right, sometimes more.”
“We don’t actually crucify anyone,” added Briana, “it being a bit sacrilegious and all.”
“A bit?” snapped Susan. “It is more than a bit sacrilegious girl.”
“But,” I continued, “Lizzy is correct in that, if need be, you can do anything you have to in order to protect yourself or another person. You have an absolute right to self-defense, no questions about it. We haven’t had any problems. I’m pretty sure the lake camp hasn’t either.”
Timothy shook his head. “It was peaceful there, aside from that first night. A few arguments and tussles at most, no fights.”
“But going forward, just so you all know, anyone who does try to rape or kill another is going to be tied to a tree so the zombies can take a few bites. After he dies and comes back, I’ll cut off the head and stick it in another tree, so he can spend the remainder of his existence staring around, unable to move.”
“Ooh,” purred Lizzy. “I like using them as zombie bait way more than the impaling. We’ll definitely do that but with some torture first.”
“Getting bitten, with chunks of skin torn off, is torture,” said Mary, joining in wholeheartedly. “Doing more seems redundant, even if it is fun.”
“Mary!” exclaimed Lois. “Please.”
“True, true,” conceded Lizzy. “We’ll wrap the face and neck in cloth and bare the arms, with tourniquets in place. Since zombies go for bare flesh most of the time, they’ll get bit and survive and bit and survive, maybe for hours and hours.” She was grinning broadly.
“Good idea,” I said. “That’s the new rule.”
“You agree with this Jacob?” asked Susan, her eyes wide. “Are you kidding? It’s hard to tell with you sometimes.”
“This one is serious. Kill a breather, a living person I mean, without just cause or commit rape of any sort, and you will be tied to a tree with bared, outstretched arms and left for the zombies.” I looked around at everyone. “No toleration for such evil, period, end of story, non-negotiable. Get it?”
There were quite a few nods. Bernice looked satisfied. Perhaps something dreadful had happened to her in the past. I never did find out, and she’s gone now. A few others seemed to think the matter barbaric. I didn’t really give a shit.
“We’ll write up a formal code of conduct later,” I added, “simple and to the point. Essentially, the rules will be act nice, no violence, no stealing, and no willfully endangering the community. That sort of thing. Susan can work on it.”
“Me?”
“Get Mary to help, a few others if you want.”
“I want the death penalty for people who double park,” said the teenager. She looked around. “It’s reasonable.”
“Have Timothy and Lois help instead,” I amended.
* * *
The call that changed everything came in the early hours of the thirty third day, just before dawn.
“Cherie! Jacob! Is anyone there?”
I woke with a start. The radio was lying above Briana’s head in the tent, and I reached over to grab it.
“Jacob here,” I replied, surprised and worried by his tone. “Simon? What’s going on?”
“We need help by the lake!” He was shouting in such desperation and fear that it was difficult to make out the words. “Zombies! They’re attacking!”
“I’m coming. Get to safety if you can. Up in trees, locked in cars. Whatever it takes. We’re on our way.”
Briana was awake at this point. “Zombies attacked the lake camp?”
“Get dressed and don’t forget your gun.”
I pulled on my pants and boots, then shirt and denim jacket, before hurrying outside. “Everyone wake up!” I bellowed.
Faces began to pop out of tent flaps. It reminded me of a past job when someone dropped a stack of files in the office and dozens of heads appeared over the cubicle walls. I really hated that place.
“You! Back to the gate.”
Larry, who’d been on watch, did as he was told.
“Keep an eye out. Zombies just hit the lake camp. Simon said they needed help.”
“How bad?” asked Cherie. She was helping Miranda out of the tent they shared. Both were wearing long nightshirts with cartoon characters on them. Not what I’d expect from Cherie.
Like me, she tended to keep her radio close, and she switched it on before I could respond. “This is Cherie. Can anyone hear me?”
Nothing.
“I’m going to go help,” I said. “Lizzy, Briana, Dean, and Alec are coming. You each know how to shoot. Cherie, stay with Miranda…”
“I am coming as well,” she interrupted, her tone leaving no room to argue.
That was even more unlike her, but I wasn’t going to waste the time. “Mary, take Cherie’s radio and stay with Miranda. The two of you will coordinate. Lois, get everyone else up and on watch in case the zombies come here too. Cherie, you can ride with Lizzy.”
She nodded, and Lizzy scowled.
“Wait,” said Susan, “shouldn’t you take more? How many were there?”
“No idea,” I admitted. “But no one else. We have to get there, in the dark, and help, again in the dark. Any more people will just complicate things.”
That turned out to be very prophetic.
* * *
We drove in well prepared. Cherie, true to form, had Lizzy’s radio and was keeping everyone up to date. By assuming the communications role, she was unlikely to be fighting. Maybe her insistence on coming wasn’t as out of character as I first thought. But the lake camp was a mess. Zombies had come from at least two directions, and the sentries, if there had even been any, didn’t see them until the last minute.
“Fucking dead shits!” shouted Lizzy. “Over here!”
A little kid ran straight at her, coming out of the shadows. It was a miracle she didn’t shoot the boy.
“I said monsters!” she snarled. “Sit there and don’t move.”
Briana suddenly shot a zombie that was coming up behind us. Damn it! They were everywhere, and no one could see a thing.
“Alec, turn your truck around. You too Cherie. Get the hea
dlights shining in all directions. We’ll put the kids and survivors in the center.”
They hurried to comply with Alec, our resident car guy, nearly striking me in his haste.
“Watch it!” I yelled. I don’t think he heard me.
Two more people came toward us. They were illuminated by headlights this time, and there was no doubt as to their status.
“In the middle,” I ordered. “Cherie, Alec, Dean, each of you at one of the openings between our trucks. Face outward. That’ll cover everything. Lizzy, Briana, and I are going into... that. We’ll send the survivors to you.”
So much for Cherie staying out of the fight. I wonder if she was disappointed or angry.
Past our makeshift circle it was dark. The moon and stars were obscured by clouds, and I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of me. Lizzy darted forward, and I grabbed her by the hair.
“Oww! What the fuck is wrong with you!” She slapped my hand away.
“Don’t get separated. I like you too much to want to shoot you by accident.”
A bullet whizzed past to strike a tree a few feet away. The timing was more than a little freaky.
“Damn it!” shrieked Lizzy. “Shoot the fucking zombies, not us!”
The point was made though, and she stayed close to me and Briana. We moved in and dropped every zombie we encountered, and we directed the survivors toward our vehicles. Those few, very, very few, who had guns or clubs and were trying to beat back the zombies were told to pair up and stay where they could help one another.
Most of the actual fighting was a blur. I went through four clips, all I had, for my .40 caliber Beretta. Then I pulled the Glock .45 – normally it was kept in the Jeep’s door well, but I’d grabbed it for this fight – from my waistband.
“I’m out of bullets,” said Briana.
“I’m running real low too,” added Lizzy.
“Same here,” I admitted. “More in the Jeep. We can go back for it. Should probably. I think all those still alive have already run there, or at least gone in that direction. We might not be doing any more good out here.”
“Everyone!” I shouted, just in case. “Start moving to the trucks.”
Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1): Sanctuary Page 30
